The 2023 Japanese Grand Prix served up some spectacular racing action. They call the Suzuka International Racing Course a ‘driver’s circuit’, and today, it was all about them. The thin line between being teammates and rivals was breached multiple times. And while the papaya pair of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri stole the show with an epic double-podium finish at Japan, it did, however, expose a dangerous gremlin that has been haunting them ever since 2022.

McLaren was in no-man’s-land last year. They had invested a huge amount of money in getting a star-studded line-up, with the inclusion of the Honey Badger, Daniel Ricciardo in 2021. That decision never really paid off. However, the repercussions are being faced by the Woking-based team even today.

Zak Brown left exposed despite historic Japanese GP result

Both Piastri and Norris were trading blows throughout the race, and often it threatened to get a bit hairy. In the end, the Brit prevailed over the Aussie. That being said, as the race edged closer to a conclusion, and fast-charging Norris behind the undercutting Piastri came onto the radio to ask his teammate to move over.

This is where ex-Ferrari manager Peter Windsor identified a problem. While Zak Brown did a brilliant job to cajole Piastri out of Alpine’s clutches, has he given McLaren a long-term headache they never had with Ricciardo?

In his Japanese GP review video on YouTube, Windsor explained, “Lando is the one who is always going to react, I think, when Oscar is cramping his style a bit. That is something going forward. We’re going to see more of the moment McLaren decided to replace Daniel [Ricciardo] with Oscar Piastri.”

“If you’ve got a Lando, you don’t really need an Oscar, and if you’ve got an Oscar, you don’t really need a Lando, you could argue. He’s that good.”

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The shift Piastri put in today shows that he’s right there at Norris’ level. However, the Brit has made his feelings known about his young Australian teammate’s ambitions.

Lando Norris is worried about Piastri’s racing traits

For two years, Lando Norris was the clear leader at McLaren. Ricciardo was nowhere near the Brit, and maybe Norris got used to that. Hence, seeing Piastri keep up with him fair and square may have unsettled the 23-year-old a bit.

Earlier this year, Norris was quoted as telling TalkSport, “We get along well, we work together well. He’s competitive, he’s fast, which I don’t like, but it’s good for the whole team,” whilst referring to his teammate, Piastri.

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